I would like to always act ethically, but I don’t. Sometimes I’m just not thinking. Sometimes it is too hard. Sometimes I’m just a sinner. A few weeks ago I was at Target with Autumn. When we got to the car I realized that the coffee I put in the cart never made it through the checkout. I just missed it when I was getting everything out to pay for it. The cashier apparently wasn’t paying attention either. Autumn was whiny and needed to get home. I threw the coffee in the car and went home. Free coffee! A week later I read a book on raising your kids to live ethically and God convicted me. I was a thief.

Yesterday I had another ethical dilemma. It wasn’t as clear cut as the Target trip.

In Hawaii in order to renew your car registration you have to get a safety inspection. So I went to do just that. When I gave the guy at the garage my registration and proof of insurance he turned me away. My insurance card was the pre-insurance card that we get before we’ve made our first payment on the new policy. It even said, “This is not a valid proof of insurance” on it. We either never got the official card or missed them when we did.

So I went home and printed out an official copy. He turned me away again. He needed the one the insurance company sent in the mail, the one with security features, ie. a watermark. I didn’t have it and couldn’t get it before the end of the month at which point we’ll have to pay a penalty for renewing late.

So I got online to find another place to take the car. What I found is that most places cost less than my mechanic. They cost less because they inspect less. I saw a review on Yelp of one mechanic who charges $15 and he’ll be especially happy if you “tip” him a 6-pack of beer. The beer guarantees you’ll pass.

I found a place on the way to pick up Teresa. When I stopped by they didn’t mention my insurance card. The inspection involved making sure the blinkers and headlights worked. But they passed me on about 30 other things that they never even pretended to check. It cost $15, but no beer. Apparently this is the norm. My normal mechanic checks more than this, but even he doesn’t check the whole list.

Here are some questions my experience brought up. What do you do when you can’t do the right thing or when doing it is nearly impossible? Is it ethical to go somewhere to get around the red tape? Is it ethical to go somewhere knowing they are just going to stamp the paper, but not do what the law says? Is it ethical to not do everything I can to make sure my car gets the full inspection? Should I have requested the full inspection and said I knew it took more time and money, but that is what I want? Is it unethical to do when the entire state does even though it doesn’t really fulfill the law? AND is it ethical for the state to require this inspection when it is well known that the norm is to just pass people without checking their cars? Should the laws be different?

One of my tendencies is to save money at whatever cost. So paying half for the inspection, even though they didn’t do anything, made me happy. But maybe it is better for my soul to do everything in my power to get the full inspection whatever the financial cost. Or maybe this doesn’t matter at all. It is just a stupid inspection.

What do you think? Did I do the right thing?